After Carlos Bocanegra was not selected for the current USMNT roster, Jurgen Klinsmann announced on Wednesday that Clint Dempsey would captain the team in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The decision to leave Bocanegra off the squad was not surprising after Klinsmann elected not to start him for the opening Hexagonal World Cup qualifier against Honduras. Tim Howard wore the armband that day for the US in San Pedro Sula.

Dempsey, 30, has long been one of the best American players, and in 2012/2013, he scored 23 goals in all competitions for Fulham before transferring to Tottenham last summer. At the time, his 23 goals was a record for an American in Europe, but Jozy Altidore has since surpassed that total this season.

Dempsey is a veteran of both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and was on the US team that won the Gold Cup in 2007 and finished second at the subsequent 2009 Confederation Cup. To date, he has been capped 92 times for the US national team.